Léon LHERMITTE 1844-1925

Léon Augustin Lhermitte, born in 1844 in Mont-Saint-Père (Aisne), is a French master, renowned for his scenes of peasant life. Coming from a modest background, he was encouraged from a young age by his teacher father to develop his talent for drawing. He studied at the "Petite École" (École des Arts Décoratifs) and then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, under the direction of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

From 1864, Lhermitte exhibited at the Salon and was noted for his rural scenes imbued with realism and sensitivity. Deeply inspired, he became the "painter of harvesters," accurately capturing the gestures of daily labor. His painting "La Paye des moissonneurs" (The Harvesters' Pay) (1882) earned him international recognition and the admiration of Van Gogh. He stayed in London where he frequented Whistler and Fantin-Latour, and sold his works through Durand-Ruel.

He received numerous distinctions and became a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Lhermitte also excelled in charcoal drawing and pastel, techniques he mastered with virtuosity. His works are housed in prestigious museums such as the Musée d'Orsay, the Petit Palais (Paris), and the Victoria and Albert Museum. He died in 1925 in Paris, leaving behind a profoundly human oeuvre. His vision of rural life remains a major reference in the history of French realism.